Considering buying a condo in Marina Bay, Richmond - Help needed

Hi! My wife and I have been renting in Oakland (Temescal) for about 2 years now. Since we are first time buyers, we've looking to buy our first condo somewhere affordable (if that even exists!) in the Bay Area. A couple of friends told us about the Marina Bay community in Richmond. I visited a couple of places there (condos) and they look quite nice.

I'd like to hear from folks who've been living there about the pros and cons of that particular community.

Yes, those condos are very nice but you may also want to look at some single family homes in the same price range as you will have more freedom, no HOA fees and you single family homes appreciate in value faster then condos.

If you like, I can send you a list of condos in the Marina Bay area which are available for sale and also a list of single family homes so you can compare. :)

My wife has lived in Marina Bay for 17 years. When we met several years ago, I had lived in Marin for several years and was surprised at how nice Marina Bay was. Moving here was an easy decision for me. The Bay Trail is right at your doorstep and you can walk, run, or ride for literally miles on it from here. There are several restaurants in the area, some right on the water. It's very convenient to get into Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, or Marin from here and the housing prices are quite reasonable.

The area gets more sun than most of the surrounding areas and a lot less rain in the winter than I was use to in Marin. With constant breezes of the Bay it's a comfortable place to be even on the warmest days of the year, but those breezes also keep it cool in the summer, so if you are a hot weather fan, Marina Bay may not be for you. If you are a sailor than Marinas give you great proximity to your boat and if you don't own one the sailing club has several rentals you can take advantage of.

On the down side, the trains can keep you waiting for them to pass and it's hard if not impossible to get around them from Marina Bay, however there is a by-pass being built which is supposed to be finished latter this year which should solve the worst of that and an underpass being started, which will eliminate the problem completely assuming our state lawmakers quit playing games with their small share of the funding. The only other downside I can see is that Marina Bay is a gathering place for weekends, festivals, and Fourth of July fireworks. If that type of thing bothers you, it could be seen as a negative, but most of the communities here are gated, so it won't have any major effect on parking for residents and no one will be trampling on your front lawn. Overall we love it here in Marina Bay and warn you to carefully consider buying your first home here if you are afraid of never wanting to leave.